Grandpappy

This is a picture of my Grandpappy,

Jessie Edward Crenshaw,

nick name Ellis.

Grandpappy started working in the cotton mill in Hawkinsville Georgia when he was 9 years old. He swept the floors. Later he became a 'fixer'. When a machine in the mill broke down they would say, "go get Mr.Ellis." If it was in the middle of the night, they would come wake him up to go in to fix what ever was broke. He only lived two blocks from the Mill.

He also tried a little farming with his father in law, William Right Barlow, that was grandmother's daddy. But continued to work in the cotton mill till he was 65 years old, then retired.

I remember him most when he was older. He sat in his rocker and loved to listen to gospel music on the radio. My daddy told me that Grandpappy use to lead the music at his church. He also listened to the radio Preachers. I'm not sure I was around enough to know of much else he listened to. I do remember that he and Grandmother liked to fish. That may have been mostly Grandmother though. I also thought that he was a quiet person. Seems to me that Grandmother was the more out going of the two of them.

My Daddy says this about him:

Here is the most honest man I ever kwew. Here is a man who loved the Lord, who read his Bible every day, who prayed, who paid his debts, who treated his fellowman with respect, he provided for his family amd worked hard for his employer. I never ever heard him say a cuss word. Maybe, just maybe he had a sixth grade education."Mr. Ellis" was a repected man in his community. He loved his wife that he married when she was 15 and 1/2 years old. He was 21.He loved the simple things of life, such as fishing in a river, a creek or a pond and never in a boat or never on a Sunday.That's my daddy, 'the song leader',Mr. Ellis.

Love,Papa

Thank you, daddy.